Paris (UK: ; US: ; French: ) is the capital and most populous city of France. Situated on the Seine River, in the north of the country, it is in the centre of the Île-de-Franceregion, also known as the région parisienne, "Paris region". The City of Paris has an area of 105.4 km2, and as of January 2013, a population of 2,273,305 people.[1] With an estimated 10,843,285 inhabitants as of 2015, Paris's urban area is the most populous in the European Union, and third most populous in Europe, behind Moscow and Istanbul.

Paris was founded in the 3rd century BC by a Celtic people called the Parisii, who gave the city its name. By the 12th century, Paris was the largest city in the western world, a prosperous trading centre, and the home of the University of Paris, one of the first in Europe. In the 18th century, it was the centre stage for the French Revolution, and became an important centre of finance, commerce, fashion, science, and the arts, a position it still retains today.

The Paris Region has a GDP of €612 billion (US$760 billion) in 2012, ranking it as one of the wealthiest five regions in Europe; it is the banking and financial centre of France, and contains the headquarters of 30 companies in the Fortune Global 500. In 2013 the City of Paris received 29.3 million visitors, making it one of the world's top tourist destinations.

The city is a major rail, highway, and air-transport hub, served by the two international airports Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Paris-Orly. Opened in 1900, the city's subway system, the Paris Métro, serves 9 million passengers daily. Paris is the hub of the national road network, and is surrounded by three orbital roads: the Périphérique, the A86 motorway, and the Francilienne motorway in the outer suburbs.